acme

American  

[ak-mee] / ˈæk mi /

noun

1. the highest point; summit; peak.

   The empire was at the acme of its power.

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acme British  

/ ˈækmɪ /

noun

1. the culminating point, as of achievement or excellence; summit; peak

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Other Word Forms

• acmatic
  adjective
• acmic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of acme

First recorded in 1560–70, from Greek akmḗ “point, highest point, extremity”

Explanation

When something is at the very peak of perfection, reach for this noun from Greek: acme. A brilliant violinist might reach the acme of her career, but eventually she might become unstrung. This noun referring to the highest point of something might sound comical because it has shown up so often in cartoons as the name of a company, such as the one that makes Wile E. Coyote's contraptions in the old Warner Brothers cartoons. But the word is actually a serious-minded import from Greek. Near synonyms for high points include zenith, summit, pinnacle, apex, and peak, but acme has a special nuance for an ultimate point of perfection.

Example Sentences

The 65-year gap between the song’s original release and its acme position is the longest in history, according to Billboard.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023

“This will be the acme of Pax Sinica,” he said.

From Washington Times • Jan. 10, 2022

Seventy years ago, Vespa was the acme of modern metropolitan living.

From The Guardian • Oct. 3, 2018

We tend to think of today as the acme of the sports company/player synergy, but the 1970s heralded the entry of the branded player in more ways than one.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2018

Then we descended to that acme of dreariness and morbid misanthropy, the sunken chamber where are buried the royal family of Spain since Charles V; one somber coffin rose above another in the dark place.

From Heroic Spain by O'Reilly, Elizabeth Boyle